Marilyn C. Derksen, MSN, CNM, ARNP

Professional Statement

I strive to connect with women and their families on a personal level, respecting them as individuals with their own set of cultural and spiritual beliefs and recognizing that every woman’s birthing experience is unique. My dedication to empowering women to lead healthy lives, through education and provision of quality health care, and my passion for enabling families to benefit from a positive birth experience have energized me for over thirty years.
We moved to Seattle from Lancaster, PA (where I worked in a busy midwifery practice for 13 years) in June 2011 to be closer to family. First 2 granddaughters were born in 2013 and 3 more in 2016—all girls! Only 2 live in Seattle and I spend as much of my free time with them as possible. The other 3 live in Ontario, Canada—I try to visit them 2-3x/year. I also enjoy Cross-fit, kayaking, knitting, reading and traveling. I lived, practiced, and taught midwifery in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for 20 years.

Board Certifications

Services

Clinical Interests

PATIENT RATINGS AND COMMENTS

The Patient Rating score is based on responses given during the CAHPS Patient Experience Survey.Responses are measured on a 10 - point scale, with 10 being the best score. These scores are then translated to a 5 - point scale in order to display results in a 5 - star rating.Comments are also gathered from the same survey and displayed in their entirety with the exception of any language that may be considered slander, libel or contain private health information, which will be removed prior to publishing the comments.

4.5 out of 5 (43 Ratings, 7 Comments)

80

09/25/2017

The care provider was accompanied by a student who was more curt and did not appear to be as sensitive to (or aware of) my medical history as I would hope. While the care provider herself was professional and courteous, she did not step in when the student was more careless in her phrasing and response to a problem. While I understand that the student needs opportunities to try out practice on her own and to learn from her interactions, my hope is that the patient's experience would always come first (in particular, when the patient has expressed concern and had prior traumatic medical experiences).

Swedish Patient

50

08/23/2017

I had some unexpected results from my test we weren't expecting and felt my doctor could have delivered the news over the phone in a bit more compassionate way and asked where I was before telling me, it was a little hard to talk in some of the situations and was hard news to get in a public setting. We were told in our first appointment that it looks like we won't have a viable pregnancy and although i get that is the case, it would have been nice not to get such a rigid answer and feeling they already dismissed the pregnancy. I went to get my HCG blood levels tested while I have been waiting for another ultrasound and my midwife called and told me the bad results and I was expecting to talk to my other doctor about those in an appointment the next day. I wasn't in a place to hear results so it was tough to get that call and hear the answers. I personally think even though it's not going well with tests for our pregnancy to give us a bit more hope to ease the pain would have helped in waiting until we get confirmation. Other than that she was very informative and to the other side of things, i felt she was telling us very honestly what she thinks is going on- tricky situation to be in for her, I am understanding on why she was matter-a-fact with us.

Swedish Patient

100

07/04/2017

The midwifery as a whole was wonderful. The only constructive comment is sometimes different midwives seemed to have varying levels of concern over things. E.G. one was very focused on clearing up a yeast infection before labor, and another was not as worried about it.

Swedish Patient

100

07/02/2017

Marilyn Derksen is the BEST!

Swedish Patient

70

05/18/2017

Having the providers chart in the room is problematic. It makes patient's feel less "seen" because the provider is constantly staring at the screen and troubleshooting when the computer freezes. I would suggest either have an MA in the room to chart or have the provider do it after the visit.

Swedish Patient

100

04/19/2017

Marilyn is wonderful. She is very kind. She is thorough. I trust her care completely.